Smoke-consuming and fuel-saving construction



May 7, 1929. J H OLES 1,711,786

SMOKE CONSUMING ANDwFUEL SAVING CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 26, 1927 INVENTOR Jo/m H0265 ATTORNE.

Patented May 7, 1929.

rrs STATES.

JOHN HOLES, OF BELLWGOD, PENNSYLVANIA.

SMOKE-CONSUMING AND FUEL-SAVING CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed August 26, 1927. Serial No. 215,636.

This invention relates to a smoke-consuming and fuel-saving constriiiction, and is illustrated, by way of example, in association with a common type of steam-boiler furnace.

The invention has for its'main object the provision of an in'iproved construction of this character, which will embody certain desired features of simplicity, efficiency and convenience, and which will be economical in manufacture and durable in use.

Incarrying out my improvements, provision is made for conducting the smoke from the smoke box into a cooling reservoir of copious size where the smoke will be cooled and where the heavy matter and unconsumed products of combustion will be deposited; and provision is made for conducting the cooled and purified gases from said reservoir into a novel distributing device arranged in the ash chamber underneath the lire grate where to distribute such gases in the stream of the usual air-draft passing upwardly through the fire bed so that they will be consumed. Additionally, provision is made whereby, when it is desired or where the conditions of firing warrant the procedure, to d ivert the stream of cooled and purified gases, either wholly or partially, into the smoke stack. i

Another object of the invention is the provision. of an arrangement which will permit of the employment of vsimple, e'fiicient and novel scraper means whereby thoroughly to clean the cooling reservoir whenever desired without interrupting in any way the operation of the apparatus.

()ther objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in. the novel featu res of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts'hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which Fig. 1 represents a front elevational view showing my improvements in association with an ordinary steam-boiler furnace;

Fig. 2 represents a side elevation partially in section with. certain. of the parts broken away; and

'l ig. represents a detail View of the gas distributing devlce.

Although, in order to demonstrate the pixict cability of my invention, I have shown a ireferred embodiment thereof in assoclation with a steam-boiler furnace 10 of ordiary construction, it is to be understood that this association is by way of example only and that the use of my invention is not confined to this type of steam-boiler. In the steam-boiler furnace 10, 11 designates the ash chamber, 12 the fire grate, 13 the fire box or combustion chamber, 14 the rear smoke box or passage to which, the smoke passes from the fire box or combustion chamber, 15 the tire tubes, 16 the front smoke box and 17 the smoke stack.

In its preferred form of construction, as

illustrated in the accompanying drawing, my

invention comprises a relatively large cooling reservoir consisting of a cylinder 1Shaving a front end 19 with a depending material discharging conduit 20, and having a rear end 21 with a similar depending material discharging conduit The cylinder 18 is disposed in a water tank 23 so as to be surrounded by water with the depending conduits 20 and protruding through the bottom 24% of the tank. For the exit ends of the depending conduits 20 and 22 suitable closures are provided, those shown comprising openable hinged door or gate plates 25. The Water tank 23 may be mounted in any suitable manner extraneously of the furnace and at an appreciable distance therefrom so that thewater within thetank will not be unduly heated. be

cause 'of proximity to the furnace. As illustrated in the drawing, it should be mount-ed in raised or elevated positionto provide suit able underneath clearance space through which access may be readly had to the depending conduits for collecting material discharged therefrom.

lViththe front smoke box 16 there is con structed or OthOl'WlSO provided a funnelshaped' extension designated ingeneral by 'the numeral 26, the beginning of the widemouthed portion 27 of this extension being equally extensive with the cross-section of said smoke box, while the small or delivery end 28 of said extension is of a size to effect a suitable union with an inlet pipe 29 which extends through the front end of the water tank and into .the front end 19 of the cylinder, centrally thereof. Said extension 26 constitutes the front portion of the smoke box 16' and at a.

suitable point between its ends it is bent laterallyas shown in order to join the inlet pipe 29 and at the same time to'ajvoi'd obstructing the space which the fireman must use in front mosphere.

of the furnace. Any suitable power driven fan. 30 (diagrammatically shown) may be in-- corporated near or at the small end of the extension to draw the smoke from the smoke box and force it into the cylinder.

Connected with the rear end 21 of the cylinder is an outlet pipe 31 leading through the rear end of the tank and joining a pipe 32 that extends into the lower portion of the furnace, passes through the back wall 38 of the ash chamber and discharges into a gas distributing device 34 located. in the ash chamher an appreciable distance below the fire grate 12. A power driven fan (diagrammatically shown) is preferably incorporated at or near the junction of pipe 31 with pipe 82 to draw the gas from the cylinder and force it into the distributing device 34-. Pipe has a branch 36 that communicates with the smoke stack 17 bet-ween theturn-valves 37 and 37 arranged therein for opening and closing communication with the outside at- Turn-valves 38 and 38 are arranged in the pipes 32 and 36, respectively, for opening and closing communication therethrough.

A scraper device, is provided for the cylinder, the same comprising a ring 39 having snug sliding fit within the cylinder and provided at each end with a beveled scraping edge 40. Diametrically spanning the ring is a cross piece 41 to the center of which is aflixed a handle 42 that extencs centrally through a portion of the inlet pipe 29 and has sliding fit in a bushing 43 associated therewith. On the exterior end of the handle is a suitable hand grip 441-. By moving the scraper device to and fro, all heavy matter deposited on the interior of the cylinder will be stripped off and pushed into the depending conduits 20 and. 22 from where such collected matter will fall to the ground or into suitable underplaced receptacles upon the opening of the door plates 25.

The distributing device 34 comprises a roof-shaped structure having two like sections 45 45 sloping from a central ridge 46, said sloping sections narrowing or receding toward the central ridge from their rear ends 47 to a front terminal 48. On issuing from the pipe 35, which preferablyhas its delivery end slightly upturned in the rear portion of the distributing device, the spread underneath the sloping sections to intermingle with the air-draft and to be carried up therewith through the fire grate and into the fire bed where they are consumed. Through the provision of this distributing device, the gases cannot be Wafted into the fire bed in a concentrated. stream and smother the fire at some particular region, but being spread about and intermingled with the oxygen of the air-draft they tend while being consumed to quicken the fire, accelerate co1nbustion generally and bring about the consumption of matterwhich is not ordinarily consumed. In this connection it is in place to state that an important feature of my im provements is the cooling reservoir which is kept surrounded by cooling water. Under normal conditions, the most heat per unit of coal is obtained when the have been rendered substantially cool before being introduced into the ash chamber. For this reason the reservoir should be so copious in size-having regard of course to the size of the furnace-and should be kept so cool that most of the heat will be extracted from the smoke. While cooling, the smoke gives up its particles of soot, dust and all heavy matter, leaving only the cooled and purified gases which are highly inflammable.

In the operation of the exemplilication shown, the turn-valves 37 and 38 being closed, the turn-valve 38 being open and the fans 30 and being in action, the hot smoke from the smoke lOOX is conducted into the reservoir where it is cooled and where the heavy matter is deposited, and thence thecooled and purified gases are conducted into the gas distributing device within the ash chamber. Upon closing the turn-valves 37' and 38 and opening the turn valves 38 and 37, the cooled and purified gases will be con-- ducted to the outside atmosphere. To those skilled in the art various arrangements of the turn-valves and fans will readily suggest themselves.

lVater may be introduced into the tank by any suitable means. In the drawing, 41 desig- .n ates a supply pipe through which water may be introduced into the tank and 50 designates an outlet pipe through which water may be conveniently withdrawn therefrom. If desired, the tank may be connected up with the boiler and serve as a receptacle in which to give the water a preliminary heating before introducing it into the boiler; or, the tank may be connected up as part of a water system and serves as the source of heated water for any useful purpose.

Through the provision of the depending conduits 20 and 22 with their door plates, the heavy material which contains tar, creosote and other ingredients useful in the manufacture of by-products, may be readily collected in vessels placed under said conduits.

The apparatus of my invention may be incorporated in a steam-locomotive, in which event the cooling reservoir is preferably located in the water compartment of the tender while the gas distributing device is disposed in the ash pan below the fire grate.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth but desire to avail myself of such variations and a projecting funnel-shaped structure form ing the head end of the smoke box and lessening in diameter from the smoke box until a smoke pipe is provided; a relatively large longitudinally extending smoke cooling cylinder receiving in one end thereofvthe exit end of said smoke pipe; and a roof-shaped gas spreader extending forwardly from the rear wall of the ash'pit of the boiler-furnace and receiving at its rear end the discharging end of a pipe which communicates with the other of the ends of said cylinder, the ridge of said spreader being positioned closely beneath the lire grate whereby to distribute the cooled along a path closely beneath the the grate.

S3. A. smoke-consuming construction comprising in combination with a boiler-furnace, a projecting funnel-shaped structure forming the head end of the smoke box and lessening in diameter from the smoke box until a smoke pipe is provided; a relatively large longitudinally extending smoke cooling cylinder having depending conduits with gate closed bottoms at its opposite ends; a roof-shaped gas spreader forwardly extending from the rear wall of the ash pit of the boiler-furnace and having its ridge lying closely beneath the fire grate; a pipe extension from said smoke pipe discharging into one end of said cylinder; a gas pipe extending from the opposite end of said cylinder and discharging forwardly into said spreader; and means within the cylinder for removing incrustations from the inner face thereof into said conduits without obstructing the passage therethrough of smoke from the exit end of said smoke pipe e}:- tension to the entrance of said gas pipe.

3. A smoke-consuming construction comprising in combination with aboiler-furnace, a projecting funnel-shaped structure forming the head end of the smoke box and lessening in diameter from the smoke box until a smoke pipe is provided; a relatively large longitudinally extending smoke cooling cylinder having at its opposite ends depending conduits with gate closed bottoms; a roof-shaped gas spreader forwardly extending from the rear wall of the ash pit of the boiler-furnace and having its ridge lying closely beneath the lire grate; a pipe extension from said smoke pipe discharging into one endof said cylinder; a gas pipe extending from the opposite end of said cylinder and discharging forwardly into said spreader; means within the cylinder for removing incrustations from the inner face der; a

provided below thereof .into said conduits without obstructing the passage therethrough of smoke; means in the. smoke pipe for producing a forced draft from the smoke box to said cylinder;'and means in'said gas pipe for producing a forced draft from saidcylinder to said spreader. V

I 4-. A smoke-consuming construction comprising in combinal ion with a boiler-furnace, a projecting funnelsshaped structure forming the head .end'of the smoke box and lessening indiameter from the smoke box until a smoke pipe is provided; a relatively large longitudinally extending smoke cooling cylinder having at its opposite ends depending conduits with gate closed bottoms; a roof-shaped, spreader forwardly extending from the rear wall of the ash pit of the boiler-furnace and having its ridge lying closely beneath the lire grate; a pipe extension from said smoke pipe discharging into one end of said cylinpipe extending from the opposite end of said cylinder and discharging ,forwardly into said spreader; means within the cylinder for removing incrustations from the inner face thereof into said conduits without obstructing the passage therethrough of smoke; means in the smoke pipe for producing a forced draft from the smoke box to said cylinder; means in. said gas pipe for producing a forcel draft from said cylinder to said spreader; and a pipe forming a communicati on between said gas pipe at a point beyond the forced draft means therein and the smoke stack of the smoke box, said pipe discharging into the smoke stack between two regulating valves therein.

5. In a smoke-consuming construction, the combination with a longitudinally extending smoke cooling cylinder contained in a tank of water and having a smoke inlet pipe connected to one end thereof and an outlet pipe extending from the opposite end thereof of a conduit depending from said cylinder and said tank with a gate closed bottom; and a scraper device slidably fitting the inner periphery of said cylinder and operative between the ends thereof to strip off incrustations and push the same into said conduit, said scraper device having transverse openings therein to allow the free'passage of smoke from said inlet pipe to said outlet pipe.

(3. In a smoke-consuming construction the combination with an ash chamber and a fire grate, of a gas pipe discharging forwardly into the rear end ofthe ash chamber; and a roof-shaped spreader extending forwardly from the rear wall of the ash chamber and receiving at its rear end the discharging end of said. gas pipe, the ridge of said spreader positioned closely beneath the fire grate and its sloping sides receding forwardly and upwardly to said ridge whereby to distribute gas along a path closely beneath the fire grate.

7. In combination, a smoke box; an ash chamber; a Water tank; a longitudinally extending smoke cooling; cylinder disposed in said tank to be surrounded by Water; a smoke pipe connecting said smoke hex With one end of said cylinder and discharging into the latter; a chamber; a gas pipe leading; from the opposite end of said cylinder to said distributing device and discharging thereinto; conduits depending at the ends of said cylinder and protruding; below said tank and having gate closed bottoms therebelov; a scraper device gas distributing device in said ash slidably fitting the inner periphery of said cylinder and operative between the ends thereof to strip off deposited matter therein an d push the same into said conduits; the said scraper device having transverse openings therein to allow the tree passage of smoke from the discharging end of said smoke pipe to the entrance end of said gas pipe.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN HOLES. 

